


Badge of Honor

by DinRedfire



Category: Eternal Arcadia | Skies of Arcadia
Genre: De Loco backstory, De Loco has a name, Drabble, Gen, Vigoro backstory, Vigoro is a bro and a good character, platonic, unlikely friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-09
Updated: 2020-02-09
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:20:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22638301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DinRedfire/pseuds/DinRedfire
Summary: Vigoro gives a freshly promoted admiral De Loco a little pep-talk.
Kudos: 1





	Badge of Honor

The lights were shining painfully on him; he could feel every eye on him as he stepped up for what would be the result of all he worked for. No - he couldn’t become complacent. It was just the beginning. He would become an admiral, one of the highest ranking officers of the armada. He could very well also lose that title. De Loco glared at the first admiral behind his thick glasses. That fool had to do nothing but exist to earn his rank, while _he_ had to work countless, unhealthy hours to earn that title. And the battle was far from over.

  


He could see, oh yes he could - how these fools in the audience looked at him. _He doesn’t belong here. A foreigner, a rat, a crippled monster. A savage_. That last insult was that insufferable Alfonso’s favorite. He knew very well which buttons to push, and it was so infuriating. De Loco took some small comfort in the fact that Alfonso was not smiling today. He tried his best to keep decorum but he was furious about the soon-to-be admiral’s promotion. Good, die mad about it Alfonso. Choke on your wine tonight, die in agon---

  


‘’Lord Vent--- ’’ started the Lord Admiral.

  


He stepped forward in a quick, undignified pace. To the audience he might have looked like a stumbling little monkey. Some let out outraged gasps and whispered among themselves. _Didn’t the little insect learn any semblance of etiquette? Interrupting his superior during a formal ceremony?_ He knew how everyone referred to him – De Loco. Unstable, insane. They were right.

  


Lord Galcian remained unfazed, frowning slightly, but went on with the ceremony. From today forward, Lord Galcian would promote the inventor to Fifth Admiral De Loco, Head of the Development Division. Hypocritical applause erupted in the audience. De Loco flinched, wanting nothing more than to scream at them. _Shut up! Shut up, all of you! All you can do is bow and clap at someone’s command. You foolish puppets!_ It killed De Loco that he was becoming one of them in a way; another plaything for the Imperial Court.

  


He grit his teeth as he moved towards the other admirals. His new… _colleagues._ As was customary, they shook hands.

  


A quick, barely felt one from Alfonso. ‘’You will not last a day.’’ the first admiral whispered in a venomous tone.

  


De Loco had no time to reply to him. It was but a trivial jab. A polite, almost sincere handshake from second admiral Gregorio. No words were exchanged. De Loco decided he almost liked the man. Then… the third.

  


De Loco raised his chin in an almost painful way to gaze at the giant.

  


The man did not look at him with contempt, no fake sympathy. He looked at him with curiosity.

  


He grabbed De Loco’s hand in a forceful way that nearly made the new fifth admiral yelp.

  


‘’You’re the new freak of the court, huh? ‘’ The man, third admiral Vigoro, spoke in a deep voice that made De Loco’s ears strain to hear.

  


‘’H-huh?’’

  


‘’A piece of friendly advice - turn their insults into something they’ll respect. Or fear. I was ‘’the giant’’, so I became the strongest man in the Armada. What you do with it is up to you, but I expect great things from you, little man!’’

  


Vigoro finished that statement with a smile and a clap on De Loco’s arm. The smaller man gritted his teeth. _Didn’t this brute control his own strength?_ De Loco hated to admit it, but he was right.

  


De Loco having concluded the pompous obligatory meet and greet of the other members of the armada highest ranking officers, the Lord Admiral spoke up again.

  


‘’Welcome to the Armada Lord Ven---’’

  


‘’It’s Lord De Loco! ...Call me Lord De Loco’’

  


Galcian merely nodded.

  


‘’As you wish.’’

  


Venturo was no more. The only person who could call him by that name was long gone… His old self along with her. He would wear that De Loco name like a badge of honor - use their insult against them as a shield.


End file.
